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Singapore fest organiser calls for central agency probe into Zubeen Garg's death
Shyamkanu Mahanta, linked to singer Zubeen Garg's death, seeks Supreme Court intervention to transfer the investigation from Assam police to a central agency.
Shyamkanu Mahanta, the organiser of the North East India Festival and a key accused in connection with the death of singer Zubeen Garg, has approached the Supreme Court seeking a transfer of the investigation.
The petition, filed on September 30, urges the top court to hand over the probe from the Assam Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) to a central agency such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Mahanta, who is facing murder charges, has also requested that a retired Supreme Court judge be appointed to monitor the case proceedings.
Additionally, the petition seeks the transfer of the FIR registered in Assam to another state, citing concerns over impartiality.
While Mahanta had also sought protection from any harsh action in the same petition, he was arrested shortly after its filing. According to his legal team, the petition is now being revised to reflect the latest developments.
Zubeen’s untimely death has sparked widespread attention in Assam and beyond, with fans and civil society groups demanding a thorough and unbiased investigation.
Meanwhile, the investigation into Zubeen’s sudden and mysterious death has intensified. On Thursday, the Assam CID added murder charges to the FIR, confirmed Special DGP (CID) Munna Prasad Gupta, who is leading the 10-member SIT probing the case.
Zubeen died on September 19 in Singapore, just a day before he was scheduled to perform at NEIF on September 20—an event aimed at promoting the cultural richness of Northeast India. He had travelled to Singapore specifically for the festival, which was organised by Mahanta.
Following the arrest of Mahanta and Zubeen’s manager Siddharth Sharma on Wednesday, the CID made two more arrests on Thursday — singer Amritprabha Mahanta and musician Shekhar Goswami, both reportedly close to the late singer. The duo had earlier been summoned for questioning on September 27.
CID officials also confirmed that more individuals are being questioned, as investigators dig deeper into the circumstances of the singer’s death. The CID has indicated that a police team is prepared to travel to Singapore to assist in the international leg of the investigation.
